Kaftans and fabric and museums, oh my!

You know, I'd heard about the fabrics used by the Ottoman Empire.  I really had.  I'd heard they were gorgeous and luxurious and on and on and on...

Yeah, and then I found these two websites, The Topkapi Palace Museum, and Imperial Garments, and I about freakin' fell over.  I'm so sad that we don't have the same amount of stuff extant from the Byzantine Empire, because that's what I'd love to see, but this gives me some ideas of other stuff to do with my caftan patterns.

Seriously, take a look at those pages, and if you don't fall over ded from the sheer sumptuousness of the fabric, you are a better wo/man than me.

If you're inclined to look at pictures, take a peek under here.  (These are NOT my photographs.  They belong to the museum and to the original photographer.) 

( Clicky for the pretties! )

How stunning are these?  I mean, wow.  Inspiration has struck, y'all.  Now, I just need a clone.  Well, about six of them, really.

Just to show you...

That Soldiers really are just that silly...I present Barrel o' Monkeys Champion...cenliamgordon !

 

On pictures three and four, you should be able to see the intense concentration of cenliamgordon , as evidenced by the tongue biting.  (Picture one is me holding my monkeys, while Liam checks to make sure we're playing right...)

He did win the game though...beat me by two monkeys!